1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to male contraceptive hoods which are adhesively secured to the penis, the hood being initially rolled up with an outer thicker member, and the interior of the hood being free of adhesive until it is unrolled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional contraceptive condom is designed to cover not only the penile head but the entire penile shaft. It is usually used initially in a rolled up condition and is unrolled to extend for substantially the full length of the penile shaft. It is retained in position largely by friction between the inner wall of the condom and the penis. An objection to condoms of this type is that they tend to slip off the penis after ejaculation has occurred and the penis tends to assume a flaccid condition. This may result in semen accidentally entering the vaginal passage.
Recognizing the drawback of the conventional condom, various attempts have been made to provide a contraceptive hood which is adhesively secured to the penis. The early U.S. Woodruff patent, Pat. No. 822,092, for example, shows a short contraceptive hood in which there is adhesive applied to the interior. It is obviously very difficult to apply such a contraceptive hood when adhesive is already in place. Furthermore, the arrangement of the Woodruff patent has the drawback that it provides a long extending nipple which would interfere with the sexual act. The U.S. Patents to Kopelowicz, Pat. No. 3,951,141; Wayne, Pat. No. 2,448,938; and Czirely, Pat. No. 3,677,225 all show arrangements in which there is an adhesive over a portion of the interior of a short contraceptive hood with a release strip of some kind which is stripped off in connection with applying the contraceptive hood to the penis. The arrangements of these patents all have the drawback, however, a separate release strip is necessary and that the adhesive is not always located where it is most effective. The Ormo Pat. No. 2,839,060 shows an arrangement in which adhesive is applied on the inner surface of an inner sheath. There is also a ridge that acts as a sealing device. The device can be relatively complicated to apply partly due to the continual presence of the adhesive on the inner surface. The Warner Pat. No. 3,648,700 shows a contraceptive device in which there are bands which are used for overlapping encirclement of the penis behind the tip, these overlapping bands being coated on the inside with adhesive. Such an arrangement provides an adhesive over only a very limited area of the contraceptive hood and further provides a very irregular surface due to the space between the strap and the main portion of the hood and also due to a thickened portion resulting from the overlapping portions of the straps. The Welsh Pat. No. 2,389,831 shows a protective covering for a member of the body, such as finger or toe. Initially, there is adhesive on an outer surface. This is covered by a protective tape which must be removed. In order to bring the adhesive into the inner surface, the entire unit is turned inside out. This would be very difficult to manipulate as a contraceptive device.
In our prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,910, we disclosed an arrangement in connection with a condom catheter for transferring adhesive from the outer surface of the catheter to the inner surface as it is rolled and unrolled. This arrangement, if applied to a contraceptive hood, would not be satisfactory for several reasons. In the first place, it employs a release layer which is left on the outer surface of the sheath when unrolled. While this is entirely satisfactory in connection with a catheter, it would be unsatisfactory in connection with a condom because of the fact that the release layer would be present on the outer surface during intercourse and would tend to rub off. Furthermore, it becomes very difficult to use an arrangement such as this where a relatively short contraceptive hood is being used. These are customarily rolled up prior to being applied to the penis, and in the case of a relatively short contraceptive hood, which is always of relatively thin material, the roll becomes so small in size as to make it difficult to unroll. In addition, the arrangement of the prior patent, if applied to a condom, would provide for no means for lubricating the condom. On the contrary, the entire sealing mechanism of the condom catheter would be negated if a lubricant were used.